Strategy, Survivors' Voices, and Supply Chain Legislation: The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner's Key Asks at the Home Affairs Selects Committee

The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s (IASC) recent appearance before the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) was a chance to reiterate the three key priorities IASC has pinpointed as in urgent need of action. 

These priorities are not new—they have been consistently raised with MPs, policymakers, and government departments. But they represent the most pressing and achievable steps the UK must take to combat modern slavery effectively.

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. An Updated Government Modern Slavery Strategy
            2. A Survivor Advisory Council
            3. Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence

The Case for an Updated Government Modern Slavery Strategy

The Government’s Modern Slavery Strategy, created in 2014, is outdated and no longer adequately addresses the evolving nature of modern slavery. Over the past decade, the landscape of exploitation has changed dramatically, with new challenges such as online recruitment of victims, changes in labour demands and visa schemes heightening risks to exploitation and an increase in criminal exploitation.   

The Government’s Modern Slavery Strategy has not been updated in over a decade. Strategies matter. Without a strategy Government departments outside the Home Office do not feel a responsibility to act, and police forces are less likely to include modern slavery in their control strategies and crimes are not investigated.

Survivors’ Voices Are Crucial to Shaping Modern Slavery Policy

Survivors of modern slavery have lived through unthinkable exploitation.

And those first-hand experiences and insights make them invaluable assets in the battle against modern slavery.  Victims and survivors are best placed to truly understand the systemic failures that allowed their exploitation to happen—and the barriers that prevent recovery. Yet, their voices have often been side-lined in policies that shape their futures. That must change. 

In April 2024, IASC submitted a Business Case to the Home Office advocating for the establishment of a Survivor Advisory Council, a crucial step that would ensure that survivor perspectives are not only heard but meaningfully integrated into policymaking. However, the Home Office declined to move forward, citing financial constraints. IASC’s office offered to allocate a portion of the IASC budget to support a pilot initiative, but this was not taken up. Without a mechanism to incorporate survivor voices the Government risks developing policies that fail to adequately reflect the needs and realities of those most affected by modern slavery.  .  That is why IASC continue to urge the Government to dedicate resources to survivor engagement in a sustainable mechanism that can truly integrate survivor voices into policy development.

The Home Office must act now to ensure survivor voices are properly embedded in their work moving forward. Survivors must not only be consulted but empowered to influence the policies designed to support them. The time for action is now.

The Need for Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence:  Making Businesses Accountable

The private sector plays a crucial role in tackling modern slavery, yet UK companies currently have little incentive to comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA).

Under Section 54 of the MSA, large companies are required to publish an annual statement, signed off by their Board of Directors, outlining the steps they are taking to eliminate slavery in their supply chains. However, to date, there have been no repercussions for non-compliance. Many companies fail to provide meaningful reports, and enforcement remains weak.

The creation of a central statement registry in 2020 has made it easier for civil society to scrutinise companies’ efforts, but stronger government-led enforcement is needed to change corporate behaviour. Several European countries have now introduced mandatory human rights due diligence (MHRDD), demonstrating that stronger measures can be implemented effectively.

To strengthen corporate accountability, IASC is calling for the UK to match its international partners by mandating human rights due diligence with new legislation that would legally  require business to assess and address forced labour risks in their supply chains, alongside clear government guidance on cost-effective compliance.

A Call to Action

The fight against modern slavery requires urgent and meaningful action. We cannot afford to be complacent. The Government must:

1. Establish a Survivor Advisory Council to ensure survivor voices shape policy.
2. Update the UK’s Modern Slavery Strategy to reflect the evolving nature of exploitation.
3. Introduce Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence to hold businesses accountable for slavery in their supply chains.

These are not new priorities—they are the fundamental, achievable steps the IASC has championed. Now, more than ever, the UK must lead by example, ensuring that survivors are heard, strategies are modernised, and businesses are held to account. Only then can we truly tackle modern slavery and protect those at risk.